Opportunities to Promote Children's Behavioral Health


Book Description

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was signed into law in 2010, has several provisions that could greatly improve the behavioral health of children and adolescents in the United States. It requires that many insurance plans cover mental health and substance use disorder services, rehabilitative services to help support people with behavioral health challenges, and preventive services like behavioral assessments for children and depression screening for adults. These and other provisions provide an opportunity to confront the many behavioral health challenges facing youth in America. To explore how the ACA and other aspects of health care reform can support innovations to improve children's behavioral health and sustain those innovations over time, the Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health held a workshop on April 1-2, 2015. The workshop explicitly addressed the behavioral health needs of all children, including those with special health needs. It also took a two-generation approach, looking at the programs and services that support not only children but also parents and families. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions of this workshop.




Training the Future Child Health Care Workforce to Improve the Behavioral Health of Children, Youth, and Families


Book Description

Increasing numbers of evidence-based interventions have proven effective in preventing and treating behavioral disorders in children. However, the adoption of these interventions in the health care system and other systems that affect the lives of children has been slow. Moreover, with few exceptions, current training in many fields that involve the behavioral health of children falls short of meeting the needs that exist. In general, this training fails to recognize that behavioral health disorders are among the largest challenges in child health and that changing cognitive, affective, and behavioral health outcomes for children will require new and more integrated forms of care at a population level in the United States. To examine the need for workforce development across the range of health care professions working with children and families, as well as to identify innovative training models and levers to enhance training, the Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health held a workshop in November 2016. Workshop panelists and participants discussed the needs for workforce development across the range of health care professions working with children, youth, and families, and identified innovative training models and levers for change to enhance training. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.




Opportunities to Promote Children's Behavioral Health


Book Description

The adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2010 was a turning point in the history of behavioral health for children and adolescents in the United States. The ACA requires most health insurance plans to conduct behavioral health assessments for children, as well as depression screening for adults. Looking ahead, however, questions have been raised about how to promote children's behavioral health, how to make use of innovations, and how to sustain funding over time. To respond to these questions, the Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, D.C., on April 1-2, 2015. The workshop focused on how recent reforms in health care provide new opportunities to promote children's cognitive, affective, and behavioral health. It also assessed behavioral health needs of all children, including those with special physical or behavioral health conditions, and programs that support families.This report summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.




Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention by Communities to Promote Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health in Children


Book Description

Communities provide the context in which programs, principles, and policies are implemented. Their needs dictate the kinds of programs that community organizers and advocates, program developers and implementers, and researchers will bring to bear on a problem. Their characteristics help determine whether a program will succeed or fail. The detailed workings of programs cannot be separated from the communities in which they are embedded. Communities also represent the front line in addressing many behavioral health conditions experienced by children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. Given the importance of communities in shaping the health and well being of young people, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in June 2016, to examine the implementation of evidence- based prevention by communities. Participants examined questions related to scaling up, managing, and sustaining science in communities. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.




Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth


Book Description

Healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) development is a critical foundation for a productive adulthood. Much is known about strategies to support families and communities in strengthening the MEB development of children and youth, by promoting healthy development and also by preventing and mitigating disorder, so that young people reach adulthood ready to thrive and contribute to society. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has significantly strengthened understanding of healthy MEB development and the factors that influence it, as well as how it can be fostered. Yet, the United States has not taken full advantage of this growing knowledge base. Ten years later, the nation still is not effectively mitigating risks for poor MEB health outcomes; these risks remain prevalent, and available data show no significant reductions in their prevalence. Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda examines the gap between current research and achievable national goals for the next ten years. This report identifies the complexities of childhood influences and highlights the need for a tailored approach when implementing new policies and practices. This report provides a framework for a cohesive, multidisciplinary national approach to improving MEB health.




Achieving Behavioral Health Equity for Children, Families, and Communities


Book Description

In November 2017, the The Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health, in collaboration with the Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity, convened a workshop on promoting children's behavioral health equity. The workshop used a socio-ecological developmental model to explore health equity of children and families, including those with complex needs and chronic conditions. Particular attention was paid to challenges experienced by children and families in both rural and urban contexts, to include but not limited to poverty, individual and institutional racism, low-resourced communities, and hindered access to educational and health care services. Workshop participants also engaged in solution-oriented discussions of initiatives, policies, and programs that aim to improve social determinants of health, opportunities for behavioral health promotion, and access to quality services that address the behavioral health of all children and families. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the event.




Clinician's Toolkit for Children’s Behavioral Health


Book Description

Clinician's Toolkit for Children’s Behavioral Health provides a wealth of clinical tools, best practices, and research-based recommendations on the behavioral health of children. Based on the current perspectives on behaviorism, social-cognitive theory and attachment theory, the book reviews the evidence-base on developmentally appropriate methods to promote and reinforce positive, prosocial behaviors in children. Each chapter covers the most recent evidence base on normal and atypical development treatment parameters, best practices, and how to most effectively address issues with families, providing guidance on verbal or physical aggression, punishment spirals, and other ineffective or potentially harmful methods. Evidence-based best practices are outlined for addressing bedtime problems, toilet training, bullying behavior and victimization, the relationship between somatic complaints, anxiety, and school refusal, problematic use of screen media, and more. Provides a wealth of clinical guidance on treating behavioral problems in children Addresses toilet training, bullying, aggressive behavior, sexual behavior, and more Outlines how to deliver parent-focused education and interventions Reviews best practices in interviewing about, and reporting on, child maltreatment Looks at teaching methods, learning settings and children’s academic/social outcomes




The State of Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health of Children and Youth in the United States


Book Description

Over the past decade, providers, policy makers, and stakeholders across a range of disciplines have taken various approaches to addressing the rising incidence of mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health concerns in children and adults. With the recent opioid crisis affecting young people and families across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic level, and thus adding to the national concern, new efforts and interventions have emerged. However, an overarching system is lacking for the collection of data on these efforts and their efficacy. A strong system for evaluating programs and distributing information could create more opportunities to improve efforts and reduce inefficiencies across programs. Additionally, through engagement of an array of stakeholders from all sectors involved with youth and families, more possibilities for solutions can be realized. To bring together some of these relevant stakeholders and to highlight some of these potential solutions, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop in October 2019. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.




Family Engagement in Mental Health Interventions for Young Children


Book Description

This book examines the critical nature of engaging families in mental health interventions that promote well-being and resilience in young children, from birth to 8 years of age, with a particular focus on the importance of equity and systems of care. It addresses evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions to promote family engagement to improve behavioral, social, and emotional functioning of infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and children in the early elementary school years. The book is grounded in empirical knowledge on reducing health disparities and promoting equity in mental health care for young children, including equitable access, services, and outcomes. It emphasizes a community-based systems of care approach to family engagement in mental health interventions and highlights the most promising policies and practices. Key areas of coverage include: Mental health interventions for different developmental levels, including infancy and toddlerhood, the preschool years, and in early elementary school. Inequities and gaps in systems of care for young children. Evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention practices and intervention strategies to engage families and support children’s psychological well-being. Family engagement in interventions for young children with special needs or who are recovering from trauma. Family Engagement in Mental Health Interventions for Young Children is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and other professionals in developmental psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, family and systems therapy, school and clinical child psychology, social work and counseling, pediatrics and school nursing, and all interrelated disciplines.




Addressing Challenging Behaviors and Mental Health Issues in Early Childhood


Book Description

Now in a fully updated second edition, this essential volume provides research-based strategies to help educators address challenging behaviors in early childhood and elementary years. Drawing on research and approaches from the fields of neuroscience, child development, child psychiatry, counseling, and applied behavior analysis, this text offers teachers simple strategies to manage behaviors and promote mental health and resilience in young children. Thoroughly updated to reflect new developments in neuroscience, trauma, and physical and mental health, this second edition also features an entirely new chapter on classroom approaches in child mental health, including the interaction of technology with challenging behaviors and mental health issues. Comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and culturally responsive, this critical resource provides new and experienced educators and coaches with educational and intervention approaches that are appropriate for all children, with and without disabilities.